One Night
by Ketchupwings
Summary: Annabeth is in an unhappy relationship, and one day it's just too much for her and she goes out to blow off some steam. That night she has a bit too much to drink and meets someone special, with raven-black hair and sea-green eyes...rated T cuz I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**SOOOOOOO this is my first-ever fanfic, so please go easy on me. Reviews are appreciated. **

**Annabeth Chase POV**

"I can't believe you forgot our four-month anniversary!" I shouted at Luke. "How could you? You know how much this means to me!"

"Calm down, babe, it's not that big a deal," Luke scoffed. "There's always next month."

"Assuming you don't forget again! I spent the entire month looking forward to today!"

"I said I'm sorry, what else do you want me to say?"

I glared at him. "Screw you, Luke." I grabbed my bag off the foot of his bed and left the room. I spared one backward glance at Luke. His eyes met mine, shining with anger. God, he was handsome. Even I couldn't deny that, he really was very good-looking – when he wasn't angry, of course. His short, sandy hair framed his tanned face. The baby blue eyes that so often sparkled with mischief now flashed with fury. He was wearing an undershirt that hugged his body in all the right places – he was lightly muscled, but not too muscular like a bodybuilder. Right now, though, he was scowling at me.

With one last glare, I left his bedroom, slammed the door behind me, and stormed out of his apartment.

I took the elevator down to street level and walked along the street, making for the nearest subway station. As I made my way down into the station, I wondered where Luke and I had gone wrong. We'd known each other for almost nine years now, since we were both seven. As we graduated from middle school and went on to high school, Luke established a reputation as a playboy. He dated all sorts of girls, but none of his relationships lasted very long. He was one of the most popular boys at school, and was constantly surrounded by girls and by other jocks. I, on the other hand, was just a quiet nerd who did well in every subject. Not unpopular, just quiet. Occasionally, I did sit with Luke at the popular table at lunch and hang out with the popular crowd, but I didn't really like it – it was too noisy. I preferred to just curl up in a corner and read a book, or stick with my own little group of friends: Thalia Grace, Hazel Levesque and Piper McLean.

You can probably imagine how surprised I was when Luke asked me out. In fact, the whole school was surprised when Luke announced that I was now his girlfriend. Of all the girls in the school he could've had, Luke had chosen to date someone like me? I was almost invisible in school, and hadn't really had a lot of dating experience – I'd only gone out with two boys, and even those had been very short-lived relationships. I was happy, though, since I'd secretly harboured a crush on Luke for a few years now.

At first, it was all flowers and chocolate. We were young, we were dating, and New York was a beautiful place to be. Our first date was at the movies, and afterwards he took me to a cosy, dimly lit Italian restaurant, where we just talked and laughed and had a good time. The first month of dating was peppered with romantic dates like that.

Just over a month after our first date, Luke and I consummated the relationship. It was my first time, and I had to say, Luke was incredibly gentle with me, considering that it wasn't his first time. He was a gentleman about it, too, and made sure he had my consent before he tried anything. After that, though, our relationship began going downhill. Luke was quick to boast about how he'd taken my virginity to all his friends, and soon everyone at school was winking at me and asking me how Luke was in bed and whether he gave me a good time. I was mortally embarrassed. Now I no longer went unnoticed - I was one of the girls who'd been lucky enough to sleep with Luke.

Luke wasn't happy with just publicizing the relationship, though. He wanted me to adore him, to spend all my time with him, even if I had better things to do. It was never about me, it was always about Luke, Luke, and more Luke. He got mad at me for doing community service, for studying too much, for doing anything that kept me from telling him how great he was 24/7. He grew more irritable and cranky, and snapped a lot more at me. I swear, it was like he was trying to pick fights with me all the time. We clashed more and more often. I'd thought we'd had a lot in common, but it turned out that we didn't really, not at all. We began going on fewer and fewer dates, until it was down to one date every two weeks, and even then they would be tense and hurried, as if it was a chore, something we had to do. And yet this was the longest relationship I'd ever been in.

_If this is dating_, I thought bitterly, _then dating is seriously overrated_.

Once I got home, I called my best friend, Thalia Grace, and told her everything. As I spoke to her, all the emotion came flooding out of me, and I was on the verge of tears by the time I finished.

"He couldn't even be bothered to remember our anniversary," I all but sobbed into the phone. "It's the worst fight we've had in weeks."

"Honey, I'm so sorry," Thalia said sympathetically. "Boys are assholes, and you can't expect a lot from them. They're self-centred dicks whose first priority is themselves and whether they're having a good time; they don't care about us."

I sniffled. "You got that right, Thals."

"Hey, I have an idea," Thalia said more brightly. "The Stoll brothers are throwing a party at their place tomorrow night – their parents are out of town. Wanna go?"

"I don't know, Thals – you know parties have never really been my thing."

"Aw, come on," Thalia whined. "You need something to cheer you up, and a party is just the thing. I know you'll love it! Come on, Annie, say yes!"

"First of all, don't call me Annie. My name's Annabeth. And secondly, I have a lot of History homework which I should probably be doing…"

"It's the weekend! Come on, Annabeth, live a little!"

I sighed. "All right, all right, I'll go."

Thalia squealed with joy. "Yay! Okay, so come over to my place at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Piper and Hazel will already be there. We're gonna put on pretty dresses and makeup and just have a great time before we go. Oh, Annabeth, I'm so excited already!"

"Yup," I agreed. "Me too."

**Probably not the most fantastic first chapter ever, but it sets the scene. I promise there'll be Percabeth in later chapters...**


	2. Chapter 2

**The second chapter! Percy and Annabeth meet...**

**Percy Jackson POV**

The loud, pounding music was really getting on my nerves. I sighed and wondered, not for the first time, why I was even at this party.

My friend, Jason, had persuaded me to come. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend of eleven months, Rachel Dare, and was down in the dumps. Jason thought I needed to be cheered up – which I did, actually, but this party was certainly not doing that.

I should've known better than to listen to Jason anyway. I didn't know anyone in New York – I'd just moved here from Long Island. Jason wasn't alone, at any rate – he vanished with his girlfriend, Piper McLean, as soon as we entered the party, leaving me all alone, sitting off to the side to think about my breakup with Rachel. As the night went on, I felt more and more depressed.

I downed my fifth glass of punch. I was beginning to feel slightly woozy. Someone had spiked this punch with alcohol, I was sure of it. But I didn't mind – the fogginess was making me less depressed, and even cheering me up somewhat. After a few more glasses of punch, I all of a sudden felt the need to dance. I loved this song. My foot began tapping almost involuntarily. And that's when I saw her.

Even in my inebriated state, I could see that she was beautiful. She was drunk too, and her face was red. Her blonde hair bounced about her face freely as she danced to the music, tossing it from side to side. She wore a tight-fitting black dress that hugged her bodacious curves, and her slender legs and arms flailed about. Okay, she wasn't a great dancer, but she really looked amazing. She had a gorgeous face – I couldn't see too clearly by this point, but I saw enough to know I was liking what was in front of me.

All of a sudden, her head swung round to the side and her eyes, her startlingly grey eyes, met mine. She'd caught me staring at her. I flinched and got ready to run, but she didn't seem disturbed. Rather, she swung closer and closer until she was right in front of me.

"Dance with me," she called.

I hesitated, but then remembered. I was single again. I didn't have any obligations to Rachel. I was a free spirit.

Grinning, I got to my feet and followed her onto the dance floor.

"What's your name?" I shouted over the pounding of the music.

"Annabeth," she giggled.

"Annabeth? Nice name." I sidled closer to her. "I'm Percy," I whispered into her ear. She shivered, and wrapped her arms around my neck.

We danced like that, slowly, oh so slowly, closing the distance between our two sweaty bodies, until there was nothing between us. There was no space at all. You could hardly tell where she ended and I began. I looked into her face, and saw that she was looking at me with those stunning grey eyes. For a moment, we stayed like that, and then she went up on tiptoe and smashed her lips against mine.

_Whoa_. I struggled to regain my senses. Maybe it was the alcohol, but Annabeth seemed to be a much better kisser than Rachel had been. I responded urgently, needing the comfort. I needed this – needed to forget about Rachel. Our lips met again and again, and we twisted our bodies around each other, until someone screamed at us, "Get a room!"

We broke apart, panting slightly. Annabeth smirked – the way she grinned was adorable. She turned and ground her hips against me. "Wanna take this upstairs?" she murmured.

Before I could reply, she took my hand and dragged me through the dancing crowd, upstairs into one of the Stoll family's bedrooms.

**Annabeth Chase POV**

I woke up in a strange bedroom. The sheets felt strange, the room layout was unfamiliar.

_Where am I?_ I wondered. Then I turned to my side and almost screamed.

Next to me on this double bed, lying on his back, fast asleep and obviously completely exhausted, was a dark-haired boy. And he was naked – just like me.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. It all came flooding back to me; I'd gone over to Thalia's that afternoon like she'd told me to, and she, Piper and Hazel had spent hours fussing over me, wrestling me into a skin-tight dress, applying makeup to my unwilling face. When Thalia had finally proclaimed us ready to go, we set off for the Stoll residence. Once we reached the party, Piper immediately disappeared into the crowd with her boyfriend, Jason Grace, while Thalia and Hazel began dancing and grinding themselves against various boys. I'd been left on my own, so I began drinking punch and watching the crowd dance.

Eventually, the punch had made me feel woozy and weird. I was new to this foreign sensation, but I welcomed it – it meant I didn't have to think about Luke for a change. And then I'd felt the need to dance – and that's when I'd seen him.

Percy Jackson. He'd danced with me, and not too long after that we'd found ourselves up here in this bedroom. I didn't recall much – just Percy's beautiful, sea-green eyes gazing into mine, and of course, the pleasure – but I knew what we'd done.

I fought back a sob. What was wrong with me? I had a boyfriend. When I'd begun dating my first boyfriend (not Luke), I'd sworn to myself that I would _never_ become one of those despicable girls who slept around even though they had boyfriends. And look at what I'd just done. I'd gone against all my principles, everything I believed in, and slept with someone I didn't even know in a bedroom in someone else's house - and cheated on my boyfriend. I had fallen into the very trap that I'd foreseen for myself.

I was a disgusting, two-timing slut.

Beside me, blissfully unaware of the thoughts going on in my head, Percy slumbered on. Asleep, he looked so cute – like a little puppy dog you just had to pet. He looked vulnerable and sweet. I let my eyes wander down his body. The covers were pulled up to his waist, and his chest was bare. Oh, _damn_. Percy had a six-pack. I felt inclined, even now, to place my hands on his chiselled shoulders and to trace the contours of his very well-defined chest with my fingers…

_No, Annabeth, no!_ I shook my head and got out of bed. The digital clock at my side of the bed told me that it was 1:22am. And yet I could still hear loud music blaring downstairs – the party clearly wasn't over. Fighting back tears, I pulled on my clothes as fast as I could and left the bedroom, leaving Percy to sleep.

**Reviews, please! Any suggestions as to what should happen next are welcome. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm baaaaaaack! Let's continue with the story, shall we? ;D**

**Percy Jackson POV**

I woke up, alone and naked, in a bedroom. Annabeth was long gone, judging from how cold the space next to me was. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes.

I had to admit, I was shocked and a bit disappointed in myself. I didn't usually behave like this – I certainly wasn't in the habit of having one night stands and sleeping with complete strangers. I felt awful. I wanted to see Annabeth, and talk to her, but she wasn't even here. This was so messed up. I probably would never see her again. Surprisingly, that thought made me quite miserable, even though we'd only met the previous day and spent more time having sex than actually talking.

As quietly as possible, I pulled the covers off my body and pulled on my clothes hastily. I grabbed my phone and all my belongings, after making sure they were all there, which they were. Annabeth clearly wasn't a thief. I left the house as fast as I could and made for the nearest subway station.

A few days passed, but I couldn't seem to get Annabeth's face out of my head. The memory was blurry because of the alcohol, and yet it was at the forefront of my mind as I prepared to go to school.

Ugh. School. Just what I needed. I was going to go to the same school as my friend Jason Grace, some place called Goode High. Aside from him, though, I didn't know anyone in New York. I'd left everyone I knew back on Long Island. I really wasn't looking forward to being the new boy.

On the first day, I overslept. When my alarm finally rang, I leaped out of bed, showered and brushed my teeth, within ten minutes. No sooner was I done changing than Jason texted me.

_Hurry up! Where r u? We're going 2 b late D:_

Jason was picking me up for my first day – thereafter I would be taking the school bus. I hurried down to street level. Jason was waiting for me in his car, a Toyota Prius. A pretty girl with dark skin and chocolate brown hair who looked like she might be of Native American descent was riding shotgun next to him. I scrambled into the backseat.

"Hey, Perce," Jason greeted me. "This is Piper, my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Piper beamed at me. "Jason's told me so much about you."

"Nothing bad, I hope," I said, looking pointedly at Jason. Piper laughed.

"Nope, everything's positive," she winked.

"Okay, okay, less talking, more driving," I said to Jason. "We gotta go."

Surprisingly, we managed to arrive at school on time. I dashed off to the office to get my schedule, before discovering that I had absolutely no idea where to go. Jason and Piper had somehow vanished, so I couldn't turn to them for help.

I spent a few minutes wandering through the school hallways before I finally found my classroom. Without further ado, I opened the door and went right in.

The teacher scowled at me. He was in a wheelchair. My timetable told me that his name was Mr. Brunner. "You must be Percy Jackson," he said. "You're late."

I dipped my head apologetically. Mr. Brunner wore a scowl, but I could see smile and laugh lines on his face, so I knew he wasn't like this 24/7.

Looking around the classroom for a place to sit, I noticed that many of the girls were staring at me. Many had hungry expressions on their faces, as if I was some sort of delicious meat. Ducking my head in embarrassment, I continued to look for a seat.

Ah. There. A vacant chair. And there was just one person sitting next to me…

My jaw must've hit the floor. I stared disbelievingly at the girl sitting next to the vacant seat.

Annabeth.

She was so engrossed in taking notes that she hadn't even noticed me. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in waves, the gold just catching the sunlight. She was even more beautiful than I recalled. Her eyebrows were knit together cutely in concentration, her mouth forming a slight pout as she copied down notes.

I must've looked real stupid standing there, because Mr. Brunner said, "Well, Percy Jackson? Go and sit next to Ms. Chase."

At the mention of her surname, Annabeth looked up. Her startlingly grey eyes met mine, and I saw the light of recognition in them. Immediately, Annabeth turned as red as a tomato. Her stupefied expression would've been funny under different circumstances. Her mouth was agape in astonishment.

I managed to regain control of my senses and made my way over to her.

**Annabeth Chase POV**

I could feel my cheeks burning as Percy sat down next to me. My heart was pounding, and I was pretty sure I was sweating.

_What is he doing here?! He's not supposed to be here! _a voice inside my head shrieked. Just looking at him was a reminder of the way I'd betrayed Luke. Even if Luke wasn't very good to me, he was still my boyfriend, and I owed him a degree of respect. And now I'd probably gone and smashed to bits the longest relationship I'd ever been in.

In spite of myself, I darted a glance sideways at him, just as he looked my way. His cheeks coloured red, and he looked away quickly, but then looked back at me. Our eyes met again – his gorgeous sea-green eyes. After a few moments of staring, Percy offered me a hesitant smile.

It really didn't help that his smile was so adorable, even in an awkward situation.

I forced the ends of my lips to curl upwards in a vague semblance of a smile. Then, we both looked away. The tension between us was so thick you could probably cut through it with a knife.

I groaned silently and buried my face in my hands.

_Kill me. Kill me now_.

**Aaaaaaand the plot thickens! What'll happen next? As always, reviews and suggestions are welcome. Also, to all you New Yorkers out there, I apologize for describing New York incorrectly. It's just that it's on the other side of the world from me, so yeah I don't go that often.  
****I promise to try to update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Helloooooo sorry for not updating in a few days, it was just that I was kinda busy hehe :P There will be an update coming in a day or so...but anyways, on with the show!**

**Percy Jackson POV**

I was in shock from seeing Annabeth.

I thought I'd never see her again, and yet here she was, _at the very same school I was going to_. I didn't really know how I felt about that revelation, either – part of me was happy at seeing her again. I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind since that night, even though we'd only met very briefly. I didn't even know what was happening to me - only that it had never happened before.

When the bell rang, she packed her things and left as quickly as she could. I packed up too, and left the classroom. Annabeth's face floated into my mind as I made my way back to my locker. Her beautiful grey eyes. That was the feature that stood out most to me. I was drawn to those eyes. I could imagine them twinkling as she laughed at something, the smile on her lips lighting up her whole face as she giggled.

I opened my locker door miserably. Good God, what had Annabeth done to me? I was a wreck, and that was only after sitting with her for one lesson. I needed to get a grip on reality.

"Percy!" I looked around, and there was Jason, coming towards me, with his arm around Piper. "There you are! I was wondering whether you'd like to come eat with me and my friends for lunch? I'll introduce you to all of them."

I smiled. "That sounds great, Jason."

When lunch came, I walked with Jason to his table.

"So, everyone, this is Percy Jackson, the new kid!" The group of kids all looked up and said hi. "Percy, this is Thalia, of course. You know her." Jason's sister grinned and greeted me. "And this is Piper – you know her, too, of course – Nico, Hazel, Frank, and last of all – "

Annabeth. I couldn't believe it – now she was sitting at the same lunch table as me? She sat staring pointedly at her food, deliberately not looking at me. I could understand why, but I couldn't suppress the disappointment. When Jason said her name and introduced her to me, she made a small noise of acknowledgement.

I sat down next to her. She made a slight, almost inaudible, protesting sound, but then shifted over, albeit reluctantly, so that I had space to eat.

Lunch hour passed pretty quickly. I got to know Jason's friends pretty well. Piper was indeed of Native American descent – more specifically, Cherokee. Hazel and Frank were still officially friends, but even I could see that they were moving towards something more than friends. Annabeth, though, kept very, very quiet. Long before lunch was over, she took her tray, mumbled some sort of excuse, then left the cafeteria. I stared after her long after she was gone, then turned back to the rest of the group.

After lunch, I had Trigonometry. Then, it was French, then Calculus, then English, then History. At last, though, my first day of school at Goode High came to a close. I pushed my way through the mobs of students all fighting to leave the school and go home. Jason had offered to give me a ride home, but I'd declined, telling him that I'd take the school bus. I had to get used to it if I was going to be a student here.

And guess whose locker was right next to mine?

Annabeth's.

She was already there, sorting out her stuff, by the time I arrived at my locker. She looked up, saw and recognized me.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," she groaned. "It seems like we're being smashed together again and again, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," I admitted. "Some might say it's Fate."

The look she gave me told me she wasn't amused.

"Listen, about that night," I began.

"Let's not talk about that night," Annabeth interrupted. "It was a stupid mistake, and we're better off forgetting it, okay? Let's forget it."

I nodded. Even though it _had_ been a mistake, the words coming from her mouth still sounded harsh.

An awkward silence followed, during which Annabeth continued rearranging her folders and binders in her locker.

"Hey," I blurted out. "Do you have a phone?"

Annabeth gave me a weird look. "This is the 21st century, silly. Of course I have one." She pulled a pink iPhone out of her jeans pocket and handed it to me. I turned it on – it didn't have a pass code. I began tapping away at the screen.

"What're you doing?" Annabeth inquired warily.

When I was done, I showed her the screen. It was her contact book, but with a new contact: me. I'd put in my name and my cell phone number.

"Call me or text me sometime, and we can hang out," I offered, giving her a bright smile.

Annabeth took her iPhone in her hand, slipped it back in her pocket, and gave me a weak smile. "Thanks, but I don't think I will," she said.

I pouted. "Why not?" I asked.

Big mistake.

Annabeth looked at me, and all of a sudden her eyes were full of fury. "Why not?" she hissed. "Why not? Because I have a boyfriend, Percy! God, I tried to make it clear that I don't want to talk to you, but apparently, like all boys, you can't take a hint, even if it's blindingly obvious, so I'm just going to have to spell it out for you. I have a boyfriend, and what I did with you that night was wrong! We shouldn't have done it, and I regret it bitterly! And unfortunately there's nothing I can do to take it back, so the next best thing is if we avoid each other and have nothing to do with one another."

I stared at her, stunned. Her words hurt me way more than they should have. I'd had a feeling there was a boyfriend involved, but it had never occurred to me that Annabeth might want nothing to do with me. What she said hurt me more than anything Rachel had called me – which was weird, because Rachel and I had dated for a time. But Annabeth had just wounded me as if she'd used a whip.

"Annabeth – "

"No, Percy." Annabeth suddenly sounded gentle, but very, very tired. "Just go."

I tried not to show how hurt I was as I stepped back. I forced a mask of cool indifference onto my face. "Sorry, Annabeth. I won't be bothering you anymore."

Then I turned and walked away as fast as I could, heading for the school bus stop with my head bent and my eyes fixed firmly on the ground in front of me.

**Sooooo a bit of tension between Percy & Annabeth there...sorry about that, but I do promise that there WILL be Percabeth in a few chapters' time! :D Just you wait**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so this came a little later than I thought it would, but no matter, here's the update :P**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

Okay, I did feel bad after exploding at Percy like that. When I saw the pain and hurt in his eyes after I exploded at him, I felt terrible, in fact. I watched as the hurt disappeared and a steel mask of coldness slammed into place. I watched as Percy turned around and left.

I heaved a sigh – of relief? Wasn't it a sigh of relief? Then why did I feel so hollow?

I pulled my phone out and stared at the new name in my contact book. _Percy Jackson_. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to delete his name from my phone.

A few days passed, and I couldn't get rid of this underlying feeling of guilt in my stomach.

Percy avoided me at school, understandably. He still sat at my table at lunch, but he never once looked at or talked to me. Always he was talking to Jason, or laughing at something Thalia said. Strangely, I felt even worse once I saw that he was ignoring me.

Percy no longer sat next to me in the classes we shared, but rather on the other side of the classroom. I didn't claim to be a great reader of minds, but even I could tell he was horribly upset by what I said – and actually, so was I. Cheating on my boyfriend was not who I was, but neither was exploding at someone.

After about a week, Thalia approached me at my locker.

"Annie," she began.

"Annabeth," I corrected her automatically, shoving a Trigonometry textbook into my locker.

"Whatever. Have you and Percy – I don't know – fallen out? I mean, I realize you didn't know each other before last week" – inwardly, I cringed when she said that – "but have you done something that offended him majorly?"

"Why would you say that?"

Thalia looked at me. "Because I know people, Annie. I can automatically detect whether someone's happy or unhappy, and Percy is most certainly not happy right now, no matter how he laughs or smiles. I see the way he looks at you."

Despite myself, my heart began to beat five times faster when Thalia said that. "What do you mean?" I asked casually.

"He looks at you with a forlorn expression, like a dog that's been wounded by its owner and doesn't understand why. I don't know why you fell out with him on the day you guys met, Annabeth, but it's hurting Percy dreadfully. And I don't know whether the poor guy deserves feeling hurt like that." With that, Thalia turned and left.

I stood there for a few moments. Thalia had a point – I'd been too hard on Percy, and he barely understood why. I'd probably have to talk to him at some point, I figured, and make amends. I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair. I would talk to him.

That night, after I got home and finished my homework (homework always took priority over talking to boys), I picked up my cell phone and dialled Percy's number. It rang for a long time, and just when I was about to give up and call again later, Percy answered.

"Hello?" He sounded sleepy. I bit back a laugh, picturing him with a horrible case of pillow hair, groggily answering his phone.

"Who is this?" Percy asked.

"It's me," I said nervously. "Annabeth."

There was silence for a moment.

"Don't hang up!" I said quickly. "I just want to apologize and talk to you. Please, Percy. Please don't hang up on me."

Another moment of silence.

"Okay," Percy said reluctantly. "Let's talk."

I heaved a sigh of relief. "Listen, Percy – I'm really sorry for what I said to you last week. You didn't deserve it, and I was way too harsh. I should never have exploded in your face like that."

"You got that right."

"I know you barely understand, but hear me out, okay? It's just that, when I began dating my boyfriend, I promised myself that I would _never_ be one of those girls who has one-night stands and cheats on her boyfriend. What I did that night went against all my principles, and I've been carrying around the guilt like a rock around my neck ever since. I went against my conscience and that's a burden that I'm going to have to bear. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, though, Percy, and I'm sorry."

On the other side, Percy exhaled. "Okay. Now I have a better idea of what's going on here. Apology accepted."

"Thank you," I told him.

"So, what's your boyfriend's name?" Percy inquired.

"Luke Castellan. He doesn't go to our school – he's at a school in Queens."

"What happened that made you so angry that you went out partying and slept with a stranger?"

I winced. "Um, well, Luke and I had a fight."

"Ah."

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty."

"I can imagine. Hey, do you want to meet up for a drink? We can get to know each other, and you can tell me more about yourself."

I hesitated. I didn't see anything wrong with it on the surface – just two friends who happened to be male and female going out for drinks. That seemed fine to me.

"Okay," I said.

We met up at a café about two minutes' walk from Rockefeller Centre. I ordered an Americano, and Percy ordered some doughnuts.

"So, what was the fight about?" Percy asked as he bit into a doughnut.

I hesitated. I hadn't known Percy for that long, and ordinarily I wouldn't be telling him such personal things. But something about Percy made me want to trust him.

"Luke forgot our anniversary," I told him. "It may sound silly, but it means a lot to a girl."

"You've been dating a year?"

"No, just four months." I hesitated again. "I may have overreacted slightly," I admitted. "It's just that our relationship hasn't been great for a while now, and that was the final straw."

Percy nodded. "I get it. It takes work to maintain a relationship, and sometimes it doesn't work out." His tone turned slightly bitter.

I cocked my head in curiosity. "You just moved to New York, right? What were you doing at that party?"

"Jason persuaded me to go. He thought I needed cheering up because I'd just broken up with my girlfriend."

"Oh." I was slightly surprised. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Percy grinned at me. "It's better that it's over now."

I found myself grinning back at him. I couldn't help it, Percy's smile was positively contagious. It was also really cute. I loved the way his eyes twinkled mischievously when he smiled, the playful curl of his lips, the dimples that dotted his cheeks…

_Snap out of it, Annabeth_. I blinked.

For the next hour and a half, Percy and I chatted about mundane things. We got to know each other better. I told Percy about my life, about how my mother, Athena, and my father, Frederick, had divorced when I was three. My mother lived in Greece now, but I still got to see her every now and then if she ever came to New York, or if I ever went to Greece. We corresponded frequently through email, WhatsApp and sometimes even through snail mail.

In return, Percy told me about his own life. He told me about how he'd grown up on Long Island, and about his life there, about his friends. He told me how his father travelled a lot but was still happily married to his mother, and how his mother's job had caused them to move to New York, and how he'd been opposed to the idea. When he got to talking about his ex-girlfriend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Percy seemed hesitant, and I didn't push him.

Finally, though, I looked at my watch and jumped. Where had the time gone? Percy had made the time fly by in a way that Luke never had.

"I really should go," I told Percy reluctantly. "I have homework to do."

We got the cheque and then left the café together. We chatted happily until it really was time for us to part.

"Friends?" Percy asked, just before he turned to go.

I grinned at him reassuringly. "Friends," I confirmed, and was rewarded by a flash of his adorable smile.

**Percy and Annabeth have made up! Hip hip hooray!  
****There is a possibility I won't be updating for a few days after this, because I'll be a bit busy over the next few days. But never you worry, I shall return sooner or later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back, people! Without further ado, let's get back to the story...**

**Percy Jackson POV**

The day after I made up with Annabeth, I found myself whistling on my way to my locker. Last night, Jason and I had gone to a gym near his place to work out. I'd been in an excellent mood while pressing weights and doing sit-ups. I'd had a happy grin on my face as I swam laps in the pool afterwards to cool off.

In fact, I'd been in an excellent mood ever since I'd made up with Annabeth.

Jason had noticed. "Percy, you seem really cheerful today," he'd said. "Did something good happen to you?"

"Yup," I'd answered, as I did another push-up.

"You gonna tell me what it is?"

"Nope."

Jason had laughed. "Okay, Perce. I'll be here if you need me."

Now, I whistled as I opened my locker door and took out my books.

"Percy!"

I spun around at the now-familiar voice, and felt a welcoming grin spread across my face when I saw who it was.

"Good morning, sunshine!" I greeted Annabeth as she opened her locker door.

"Silly," Annabeth muttered, but she had a cheerful grin on her face as she extracted her textbooks and folders.

"What's your first lesson?" I inquired.

"Calculus." Annabeth made a face as she closed her locker door again.

I nodded sympathetically. "I have Algebra now, so I'm about to suffer as well. I don't know which is more painful, finding _x_ or looking at Mrs. Fury's hairy mole."

Annabeth snorted with laughter. I grinned, happy to have made her laugh.

"Well, I'm gonna go," Annabeth said. I frowned, disappointed. She must've seen it, because she quickly said, "But I'll talk to you in lunch, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed enthusiastically as she turned away and began walking away. I found myself staring after her, noticing the way her ponytail swung from side to side as she walked, the way her shoes made little squeaking sounds on the linoleum.

I shook my head vigorously once I realized what I was doing. _God, Perce_. I cursed myself, reminding my stupid brain that Annabeth had a boyfriend.

What a lucky man he was.

_Argh!_ Quickly, so as to avoid my Annabeth-crazed thoughts, I turned back to my locker and extracted my Algebra books.

"Hi, Percy." Closing my locker door, I turned around, to see a pretty Asian American girl standing before me. She was dressed in a cheerleader's uniform, so I assumed that was what she was. She smiled flirtatiously at me, twirling a strand of hair around her finger in a way that she probably thought was cute.

"Hi," I greeted her.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Um, no."

The girl smiled, and took a step forward.

"I'm Drew Tanaka. I'm the Head Cheerleader at this school. You're new here, right?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "I just moved here from Long Island."

Still smiling flirtatiously, Drew Tanaka took another step forward. Now she had me pinned against my locker door.

"Well, do you need someone to show you around?" She put her hand on her hip and smiled. Normally, I wouldn't notice when a girl flirted with me, but Drew was making it so obvious that of course I had to notice.

"Nah, but thanks for asking," I replied. "Annabeth already showed me around."

"Okay. Then, do you want to just – I don't know – hang out?" She put a hand on my shoulder and began to glide it over my T-shirt, onto my chest.

Ordinarily, with a girl as pretty as Drew, I would most certainly be responding to her advances. I grinned at Drew, and opened my mouth to speak. But before I could in any way react to Drew, Annabeth's face floated into my mind.

She wasn't angry, or sad, she was smiling. No, in fact, she was laughing, her mouth open as sounds of mirth tumbled from her cherry-red lips. Her grey eyes sparkled with humour, and her face radiated joy, framed by her silky blonde hair which cascaded down past her shoulders. She had a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles, and to me this just made her more adorable. Her button nose was so cute I just wanted to plant a kiss on it. The freckles which dusted her cheeks made her face that much more lovable.

Then, the image of Annabeth's face faded as quickly as it had appeared, and I found myself once more in front of my locker at Goode High, with Drew Tanaka before me, her hand trailing down onto my chest.

Smiling awkwardly, I wriggled sideways so that I was no longer trapped against my locker door by Drew's petite body. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "Maybe another time?"

Drew looked surprised, and for a moment her eyes darkened. But the darkness quickly disappeared, to be replaced by a sunny smile. "Sure, Percy. Anytime." She turned around and skipped away.

I watched her go, then exhaled heavily and audibly. Only then did I finally, _finally_ realize what was happening - what had _already happened_ - to me.

_Oh, Lord, no_. But it was true, and I knew it.

I had a huge crush on Annabeth Chase. And she was taken.

**The plot thickens! Sorry about this chapter being short in comparison to the others, I haven't really had time to write a longer chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey y'all, did you miss me? I've been pretty busy with schoolwork lately so I haven't had time to update. But here's the next chapter - it's a bit longer than the last one.**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

As usual, Luke was late.

We'd kissed and made up (well – made up, not kissed) just after our fight. Today, we'd arranged to meet for a "date" at Shake Shack on Eighth Avenue at seven o'clock. It was now seven twenty, and Luke had yet to show up. I'd come to expect it by now – nowadays our dates were little more than a quick, rushed little meal.

When Luke finally arrived at the restaurant at seven twenty-five, I had written an entire history essay on the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. (Yes, that's right - I brought my homework on dates. So what?)

"Sorry, babe," Luke apologized as he seated himself beside me – we had a booth.

"It's okay," I smiled at him, pretending I didn't mind and that I wasn't hurt with every late arrival.

An awkward silence followed – an all-too-familiar awkward silence.

"So," Luke said. "How's my beautiful girlfriend been doing?" He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I snuggled into his side, putting my head on his shoulder.

"Okay, actually," I admitted. "I've been getting ahead in schoolwork."

"That's my girl." He kissed the side of my head, and, in spite of myself, a little shiver of pleasure ran down my spine.

We stayed like that, cuddled together, for about fifteen seconds, and for that period of time we looked like we were fine, like any ordinary couple.

Then, of course, Luke pulled away and got to his feet.

"I'll go up and order something to eat," he announced. "What do you want?"

"A shroom burger," I requested.

"You got it." Luke walked off.

As I sat there waiting for him, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my jeans pocket and looked at it.

I'd just received a WhatsApp message from Percy.

A smile broke out over my face, almost involuntarily. A natural smile, not the forced ones that I had to paste on for Luke these days. I clicked on the notification and waited impatiently for the app to load.

_Hey Annabeth ;D sup_

I texted back, **Nothing much :P how about you? **

I hated using texting abbreviations – they always really irritated me. Percy, unfortunately, used them extensively.

_Me neither…..actually im bored as hell rite now….and sleepy 2…._

**Oh, isn't that a shame.**

_Yes it is Annabeth. Tbh im so sleepy rite now it feels lyk my eyes r melting into my skull D:_

I snorted with laughter. It was comments like these from Percy that made me laugh. I quickly texted back, **Oh, Percy, I'm sure you look absolutely fabulous with your eyes melted into your skull**.

"Who're you texting?"

I jumped as Luke sat back down beside me, and quickly set my phone down on the table. "Nobody," I lied.

Luke looked at me sideways as he set my shroom burger down in front of me. "Must've been somebody if they can make you laugh like that," he commented as he stole one of my French fries.

"Nah, it's nobody," I said, picking up my shroom burger and eating it.

Luke shrugged. "Okay then."

The rest of the date passed. It wasn't the most horrible date we'd ever been on – but then, it wasn't exactly our best date either. A mediocre date, then. Quite frankly, I'd come to expect no less.

Afterwards, Luke drove me home, like he always did, gave me a goodbye peck on the cheek, like he always did, and a lopsided grin, like he always did.

And then he left, like he always did.

I spent the next two hours doing homework. Once I was finally done with all my work, I showered, brushed my teeth, then curled up in bed with a book. Before I went to bed, I pulled out my phone to check my texts one last time before I slept.

Percy had sent me a picture via Snapchat.

My heart fluttered, and I clicked on the notification.

It was a picture of Percy pulling an impossibly cute derpy face. The caption read, _Good night, Wise Girl_.

I couldn't help it – I laughed out loud, then clapped a hand over my mouth. Laughing out loud over messages? I'd never done that before, never. Not with Thalia, Piper, Hazel – not even with Luke.

I looked at Percy's face and realized just how adorable I found it. I loved the way his eyebrows were scrunching together, the tip of his pink tongue poking out the side of his mouth, the way he was crossing his eyes. No matter how he contorted his face, it _always_ came out looking so cute.

I sent a WhatsApp message to Percy. **Nice Snapchat – you look absolutely amazing**.

Percy responded only a few seconds later. _Annabeth, tell me something i dont know_.

**If I'm Wise Girl**, I texted, **then what are you? I know – you can be Seaweed Brain**.

_Whaaaaat? no, i dont lyk it…maybe king percy the awesome, or king percy the dashing...now that would be a ideal name!_

**Sorry, but I've taken quite a liking to this surname. See you tomorrow, Seaweed Brain**.

_cya, wise girl_.

I turned off my phone and stared at the ceiling. What had happened to me? I had never bantered like this with Luke. Percy was stirring up emotions in me which I didn't even recognize. What had he done to me?

If I hadn't had a boyfriend, I'd say I had a crush on him.

As I thought about it, the truth sank in. I _did_ have a crush on Percy.

How could this be happening? I had a boyfriend. I had Luke. I wasn't supposed to feel this way about someone else – it wasn't right.

And yet, there it was, staring me in the face. The cool, logical side of my brain told me there was no doubt about it – I had a huge crush on Percy, and I was in a relationship.

Trembling, I reached out for my pillow and lay down. What had Percy done to me? He'd turned me upside down, making me laugh and experience emotions the likes of which I'd never even imagined, in a matter of weeks.

At any rate, Percy probably didn't even like me that way. What I was doing was despicable anyway – developing feelings for someone besides my boyfriend. What kind of person was I turning into? First I got drunk and slept with someone I hardly knew, now I was actually feeling something for them?

One month ago, this would not have been happening. I would not have been developing feelings for someone other than Luke – I would not be what I was now, my principles would be intact.

_But that's different now_, a voice in my head told me. _Everything's different now. You've changed. Percy changed you_.

That was true, at least. As I began to drift off to sleep, I realized that Percy had in fact already changed me in the short time I'd known him – I was more cheerful, more relaxed, more outgoing. My friends had been quick to notice the change in me.

And just before I fell asleep, I realized how I felt towards this change in me, this Percy-instigated transformation of my disposition.

I liked it.

**And now Annabeth's feeling it too! :O where do we go from here? I don't know, let's find out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I had writer's block for a little bit, so sorry about that**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

_I have to talk to somebody_. I put down my pen and stopped writing. _I have to tell someone what's going on_.

My hand wandered to my phone, and I picked it up and scrolled through my contacts list.

_Luke Castellan_. Ugh, most certainly not.

_Piper McLean_. No, she'd probably find it really "romantic" that I was crushing on Percy and give me all sorts of tips as to how to make him mine.

_Percy Jackson_. Definitely not.

I bit my lip, and eventually chose the name that I always chose when I was feeling stressed out. I waited for her to answer.

"Thalia? I really want to talk to you, in person."

Thalia instantly did exactly what I loved her for: she dropped everything she was doing to help me with my problem.

"Sure, Annie. Do you want to meet up at that Barnes & Noble store on Fifth Avenue which you always used to go to? Then we can go grab coffee or something."

I always knew I could count on Thalia. She was always there for me, ready to be the shoulder to cry on that Luke wasn't, ready to console me and advise me and listen to me. Thalia had an incredible knack for comforting me and telling me exactly what I needed to hear, not what I _wanted_ to hear, and that was invaluable in a friend. She never judged, she just listened, and afterwards she would always give me her true and honest opinion. I couldn't count the number of times she'd given me a helping hand when I needed it so desperately.

She was waiting for me by the time I arrived at Barnes & Noble. She grinned and inclined her head, and we headed along the street until we arrived at a coffee shop that she deemed acceptable.

Once we'd ordered our coffee and sat down, I told her the whole story, from the night of the party to today. I told her about how I'd met Percy, what we'd done, how I felt towards Percy now and basically what I was feeling – confused, conflicted, torn between Percy and Luke. As I spoke, I felt a huge weight begin to lift from my chest. I'd been carrying these secrets around for far too long, like a deadweight around my neck. It felt fantastic to finally let them all out and tell someone what I was feeling.

All this time, Thalia listened to me, her face expressionless. When I was done, she contemplated what I'd said for a few minutes, and then spoke.

"Annie, I don't blame you at all for feeling the way you do towards Percy. Okay, maybe the way you met was a bit irresponsible, but having a crush on him? That's understandable."

I was taken aback. I'd partially been expecting her to tell me that what I was feeling was wrong, to remind me of the commitment I had made to Luke all those months ago and to warn me to stay away from Percy, because that was certainly what I was telling myself. What I had not expected was for her to tell me that it was understandable to have a crush on someone other than my boyfriend.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"You think I don't notice the way you are with Luke? Honey, Luke isn't your boyfriend – not really. Relationships are supposed to be magical! Hands holding each other. Eyes locked on each other. Lips brushing one another. Sparks of fire deep within you. Excitement, happiness, passion, desire, _love_. That's the way Luke is supposed to make you feel. Can you look at me, your best friend, in the eye and tell me honestly that that's the way you feel around Luke?"

I looked down at my cup of coffee. No, I couldn't say that without lying.

Thalia nodded. "I didn't think so."

"But it still isn't right to feel like that about someone else," I whispered.

"Annabeth, you must think I'm blind if you don't think I see the way you behave around Percy. You might not even notice it, but he sets you on fire in a way Luke never has, and never will. He's obviously got that special something that you need, Annabeth – something that Luke hasn't got. He's the one for you – and you're the one for him."

"What?"

"You are all those things for him that he is for you. You'd be surprised how often I catch him gazing openly at you, like you're some wonder upon the earth. He looks at you the way every girl wants to be looked at, Annie. You don't realize what's right before you."

I sat there in shock. I'd had no idea that Percy felt the same way about me that I did about him. That certainly changed things.

But what about Luke? He was my boyfriend, and even though, as Thalia had just pointed out, he didn't ignite the same feelings inside me that Percy did, I couldn't get over the feeling that I owed him a degree of loyalty and respect. That was how I had been raised. I had been taught traditional family values. Could I really just break up with Luke just because I liked someone else more? That went against all of my principles.

Thalia could evidently see the hesitation in my eyes, because she went on to say, "If you're going to take this road, Annabeth, if you're going to take the noble road and stay with Luke, then you should tell him what you did with Percy."

I nodded. Thalia had a point there. Luke deserved that much. Didn't he? I wasn't sure anymore. It seemed that everyone around me had a lower view of Luke than I did.

"Thanks, Thalia," I said to my best friend. "I really, really needed that. I can't tell you how much."

Thalia grinned and grasped my hand. "Don't mention it."

We spent the next forty minutes talking about other things, not about Percy and Luke. When it was time for us to part, though, Thalia leaned in close.

"I'm your best friend, Annie, and I'll support you whether you decide to dump Luke or stay with him. But let me offer you one piece of advice that I'm sure Piper would be giving you: sometimes you have to follow your heart, not your head."

With that, Thalia slipped away from the table. She flashed me a goodbye grin, and I watched as she left the café and disappeared into the crowds of New York.

I sat back and sighed. Now I had to tell Luke what I'd done. Boy, this was going to be ugly.

**Originally, I was gonna write this from Thalia's POV, but then I decided to stick to Annabeth. What do you guys think? Should I just stick to Annabeth and Percy's POVs, or should I have a POV from one of the other characters every now and then?  
****As usual, reviews are very much appreciated :3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sooo there's a typhoon drawing closer and closer to my hometown, Hong Kong - looks like I'll be able to skip school tomorrow. Which means I get time to update! Yay!**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

I decided to head to Luke's apartment to tell him about what I'd done, about the way I'd been unfaithful. I breathed in and out, in and out. Obviously I'd never done this before – I hadn't had that many boyfriends before Luke, and I'd certainly never _cheated_ – so of course I was feeling nervous. Very nervous, in fact. Extremely nervous.

Luke lived in Queens, so I took the subway. All the way I was trembling. Luke had a fierce temper, and while I'd never seen the full extent of his wrath, I knew it was a terrible thing to behold. I certainly didn't want him to unleash it on me.

I walked down the street on which Luke's apartment building was located. Luke's neighbourhood wasn't exactly the safest in New York. I certainly wouldn't dare come here by myself at night.

As I approached the building, though, I heard voices. When I realized that I recognized one of the voices, I slowed, and came to a halt by a narrow, seedy-looking alleyway.

The voices were coming from in the alley. I identified one of the voices as Luke's. The other one was a deep, cold, sinister-sounding voice that sent shivers down my spine. I poked my head into the alley to have a look. Immediately I had to stifle a gasp of horror at what I saw.

Luke was standing with a huge, muscular man. He towered over Luke, who was already pretty tall. He had his arms crossed over his broad chest, showing off impressive tattoos that seemed to cover every inch of his arms. The man sported a short beard and moustache, and his pitch-black hair fell down to his shoulders. It was his eyes that really made me shudder – they had an evil, malicious glint in them. I recognized him at once from the newspapers.

Kronos. The drug lord. One of the most wanted men in the United States, Kronos controlled an enormous network of illegal drug trafficking that covered almost the entire East Coast. The FBI had been searching for him for years, yet they'd never found him. Kronos' huge drug empire was incredibly lucrative and had made him rich beyond anyone's dreams. Not only was he a drug lord, he was also a murderer. Kronos was notorious for killing anyone who got in the way of his empire's expansion – or anyone who ticked him off. After his first divorce, his ex-wife had been found in a hotel room in Van Buren, Maine, with her throat slit. Because of the baggage in her room, and the proximity of the hotel to the New Brunswick border, there was a popular theory that she'd been trying to escape across the border into Canada. Evidently, she hadn't made it.

Luke looked terrified to be in Kronos' presence. I could see the sweat glisten on his brow.

"I-I promise I'll make the delivery," he stammered. "I-it's just that I n-need some time t-to get the d-drugs – "

"You have until the end of next week," Kronos said. His emotionless voice made my hair stand on end. "I have customers waiting across the Tri-state area, you know. You don't want me to tell them they have to wait just because a pathetic teenager like you can't get his act together, do you?"

"N-no, Kronos."

"I thought not. Listen to me, Luke – you really don't want to tick me off. Do you know what happens to people who tick me off?"

Luke nodded.

"I thought so."

I'd heard enough. I fled frantically from the alleyway.

Twenty minutes later, when Luke returned to his apartment, it was to find me sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

"Annabeth?" Luke couldn't hide his surprise. "Babe, what're you doing here?" He came forward, a welcoming grin on his face.

I didn't move. Luke's smile faltered.

"You're working for Kronos?" I said, very quietly.

Luke's face darkened.

"Yes, Luke, I heard you speaking to the Drug King of New York. What were you thinking? You can't get mixed up with people like that!"

"Annabeth – " Luke began, but I wasn't finished.

"What are you? Just a little delivery boy? Just Kronos' filthy little servant?"

"I'm not anyone's servant!" Luke exploded. His eyes glowed with sudden rage. "I'm one of the most important couriers in Kronos' empire! I handle all the major deliveries of drugs from here to Philadelphia! I am the backbone of Kronos' deliveries!"

I stepped back. This was worse than I thought. Luke was up to his neck in the drug business – and all this time I'd had no idea.

"Didn't sound that way to me just now," I told him. "When he called you a pathetic teenager."

"What would you know?" Luke sneered at me. "You eavesdropped for all of two minutes? Wow, congratulations, you nosy pig."

I recoiled. Luke was a lot of things, but he'd _never_ insulted me before. This was the last straw. I took my phone.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm calling the feds," I snapped at Luke. "You're going to jail."

Suddenly, Luke's hand was around my wrist. "You don't want to do that."

"Yes I do. Let go of me."

"No, you don't. You really don't get it, do you, Annabeth? You're going up against Kronos, the Drug King. If you walk away from this now, he'll let you go – you know too little to bit a threat to him. But if you land him in jail – boy, there'll be consequences for you. You think Kronos doesn't have allies, doesn't have cronies? He has one third of New York's police in his pocket. He's got tentacles, Annabeth, that you have no hope of understanding. If he's going down, he's sure as hell gonna take you with him."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I cried.

"Do you really think it'll take much for Kronos to murder you? Not just you, either. One wink is all it takes, and your father will be killed in a terrible car accident. Thalia, Piper and Hazel? Who knows? Maybe there'll be a gas leak in their apartments. Even your mother, over there in Greece – Kronos can get to her, believe me."

I stopped struggling. Much as I hated to admit it, Luke was right. Kronos probably had incredibly powerful friends and allies. If he wanted me or any of my friends and family dead, he could very easily have it arranged – from his jail cell.

"That's a good girl," Luke said. "Now put away the phone."

Trembling, I put it in my handbag.

"Good – " Luke breathed. "Now we can have a little fun."

Suddenly, Luke's mouth was on mine. I fought to get him off me.

Luke drew back for a second. "No more resisting me, Annabeth. No more disobedience. You're mine, and I'm gonna teach you how to behave."

Then his mouth was back on mind. I struggled, kicking desperately, trying to get him away from me. Suddenly, I felt blankets on my back. Luke had pushed me down until we were lying down on the bed, and he was on top of me. I tried to wriggle sideways, but Luke's muscled arms were on either side, forming a cage around me.

Luke's lustful eyes gazed into mine. "You're going to be a good girl when I'm done with you, Annabeth," he murmured.

"You're insane!" I shrieked. "You're absolutely crazy!"

"Crazy with love for you…" He gave me a smile that once I would've thought was cute.

He lifted his arms for a second to rip off his own shirt, before trapping me beneath him once more. My arms battered uselessly against his bare chest. Once upon a time, I'd found his muscular body magnificent. I must've changed a lot since then.

The fingers on Luke's left hand began to fumble with his jeans buckle, and the fingers on his right began to fumble with mine. I saw my chance, and I took it.

Without a second thought, I rammed my knee upwards, and hit Luke in that place where all men are powerful and weak at the same time.

Luke's eyes widened, and he stopped trying to undress himself and me. He inhaled sharply. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him backwards with all my might. He fell off the bed, clutching himself, trying to breathe. I'd kneed him pretty hard.

I scrambled off the bed and grabbed my handbag. "Just to be clear, Luke Castellan," I hissed as I left the bedroom, "we're through." I left him there, lying on his side in his bedroom, half naked, clutching his soft spot and struggling to inhale and exhale.

Once I was on street level, I ran. I ran and ran and ran, and didn't stop until I reached the subway station. I left Queens at once and returned to Manhattan. Getting off at the stop closest to Thalia's apartment building, I practically ran up to the Grace residence.

Jason answered the door. "Yes?" he inquired.

"Where's your sister?" I murmured. Jason must've seen how shaken I looked, because he immediately turned around and called, "Thals!"

Thalia came at once. "What's up?" she grinned when she saw me. That grin quickly faded when she saw the expression on my face.

"Thalia," I muttered. "I – " I hesitated just a moment, then burst into tears.

Thalia's arms were immediately around me, comforting me, holding me close, wrapping me in a warm embrace. "It's okay," she murmured in my ear. "It's okay, it's okay."

"No it isn't," I sobbed into her shoulder. "It really isn't."

**The much-anticipated breakup of Annabeth and Luke has finally come! Although it's much more dramatic than I'd originally planned it. It was originally going to just be Annabeth telling Luke that she'd cheated on him and Luke going a bit cray-cray with anger, but I decided I wanted to show Luke to be the complete scumbag that he is. So yes, it's dramatic. I hope it's okay that I've decided to portray Kronos as a drug lord - it came to me in a flash of inspiration.  
****Reviews please! They fuel my soul...**


	10. Chapter 10

**I had writer's block for a while. You won't believe how many times I wrote and rewrote this chapter. But the important thing is, it's here now, after an eight-day absence, so enjoy!**

**Percy Jackson POV**

I clambered out of the swimming pool, drying my hair with a towel and towelling off the rest of my body. I loved swimming – I felt calm when underwater. Swimming was my time to think and contemplate.

I walked back to the changing room. A cute girl noticed me, winked and grinned. I smiled back, but didn't head over like I would've done – before I met Annabeth.

I sighed. I didn't even know what was going on with my emotions. I thought about Annabeth all the time now. My feelings for her were growing stronger, even though I'd tried to suppress them, knowing that she had a boyfriend. She was in my head as I did homework, as I showered, as I drifted off to sleep. I imagined her face laughing as I told some funny joke, or rolling her eyes in exasperation as I sang a song. I couldn't even understand why I felt this way about her – I just knew that I now had a huge, enormous crush on her.

_I need to jog_, I thought. _That's what I need. Jogging will help me keep my mind off Annabeth_.

I changed out of my swim trunks and into jogging clothes, and then I set off for my favourite jogging spot: Central Park.

I hadn't been jogging for long when I saw a familiar figure sitting on a park bench.

Annabeth.

Of course.

My heart sped up involuntarily, and I cursed myself. I jogged until I was right beside her.

She looked absolutely miserable. Her face wore such a gloomy expression, her shoulders sagged, and she stared at the ground. She looked so sad that it was all I could do to lean forward and give her a comforting peck on the cheek – but I knew that wouldn't be appreciated.

"Annabeth?" I said, and she looked up.

"Percy!" She stood up, trying to put on a friendly grin. "What're you doing here?"

"I was just jogging through the park," I said. "Is something wrong?"

Annabeth's shadow of a smile faded. "That obvious, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Huh." She sat down on the bench with a thud. "I should've known it would be."

I sat down beside her, careful not to touch her because I was pretty sweaty. "What's wrong, Annabeth?"

She sighed, and looked at me. "I broke up with Luke," she said, and for a moment it looked like she was really going to cry.

"Oh, Annabeth. I'm so sorry."

Was I? I was, in a way – I was sorry that she was so unhappy. But at the same time, there was a monster in my chest that seemed to be roaring with triumph, because the girl I liked was available.

"Yeah." Annabeth gave me a watery smile. "Me too, Percy."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," she sighed. "That's okay, Percy. Sweet of you to ask, but no."

My heart pounded faster when I heard her call me sweet.

"You sure there's not anything I can do?"

"Yeah, Percy. I'm sure."

"Okay." I was about to stand up, but then hesitated. "Listen, Annabeth – I'm not going to ask you why you broke up with Luke, but I want you to know. If ever there's anything you want to talk about, I'm ready to listen and talk. If you don't want to, that's okay too. I just want you to know that, if you need me, I'm here to listen. I'm willing to be there for you."

Annabeth looked up. "Thanks, Percy." She grinned, a genuine smile now, and reached forward, her arms open. I reached out too, and we hugged, and I smelled the sweetness of her hair and felt her arms around me, and I was clasping her too, hugging her back.

And then, of course, we had to pull away.

"Thank you, Percy," Annabeth repeated.

"No problem, Annabeth." I grinned at her. "I'm here for you."

There was a short silence, and then Annabeth said, "It was a strained relationship anyway. I think we both saw it coming, really – it'd been coming for months."

"It's good that it's over, then," I responded. "That's the way I felt with Rachel when we broke up – it felt like the relationship had gone on way longer than it should have."

There was another silence, and then Annabeth got to her feet. "I'd best be going."

I stood up too. "See you at school, then."

We hugged again, and then I was watching as she walked away. I waited till she was out of sight, and then resumed jogging.

_Just because she's available now doesn't mean you can make your move now_, a voice in my head told me. _She just got through a very difficult break-up. Give her some time to recover – otherwise you'll ruin your chances forever by asking too soon_.

I knew the voice was right, but my heart didn't lie. It was still beating way too fast from just hugging her.

I finished the rest of the jog with a grin on my face.

**Not the longest chapter I've ever written, but I haven't really had time to write anything longer...what do you guys think?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Whoops haha 11 days have passed with no word from me...sorry about that, I've just been a little busy. But hey, _House of Hades _just came out! I'm so getting it, and I'm really looking forward to reading what happened to Percabeth after they fell into Tartarus. Speaking of Percabeth...**

**Percy Jackson POV**

Algebra was my worst subject, hands down. I absolutely hated algebra. I didn't understand any of it, with all those _x_'s and _y_'s and variables. It completely messed with my head.

In all my other subjects, I was doing okay, but I was doing horribly in algebra.

Mr. O'Connell sighed and looked at me. "Mr. Jackson, this simply isn't good enough."

I bit my lip as he waved my algebra paper in the air, with a big fat _D_ slashed across it.

"You're going to have to do something about your grades in algebra if you have any hope of passing high school," Mr. O'Connell told me.

"Yes, Mr. O'Connell. I know."

I bit my lip as I showed my algebra test to my disappointed mother.

"Percy." My mom looked at me. "What is this?"

"I'll try harder," I reassured her. "I'll work harder, and I'll study longer."

My mom nodded. "Good. You need to." She put down my test, and started to head for the kitchen.

I hung my head. I hated disappointing my mom, especially after she worked so hard. My father was almost always away, overseas or in some faraway part of the US, and I knew it was difficult for my mom to sustain us.

Suddenly, though, my mom turned round. "Do you think you need a tutor?"

I blinked. "A tutor?"

"Yeah, a tutor. It might help you with your grades."

"Um – we can't afford a tutor, can we? I don't think we can afford a tutor, Mom."

"We can't. But what if one of your friends was to help you with your homework or with your studies? That would do you a world of good, I bet."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, that could work."

"Okay, good. Think about who you want to tutor you." With that, my mom turned and left my bedroom.

I sat and thought. I'd never considered having a classmate tutor me in algebra. It wasn't that I was opposed to the idea – it was just that the idea simply had never occurred to me. It was obviously going to be a lot less hassle than hiring a professional tutor, too.

Who would be willing to sacrifice their free time to tutor me, though? I'd probably go and ask Jason, but his algebra grades were just as bad as mine, and besides I was pretty sure that if he came over to my place to tutor me, we'd probably end up goofing around and not actually doing anything productive.

Then it hit me like a fist. Of course. The choice was so obvious, I wondered why it hadn't instantly come to me. I laughed and shook my head. Now all I had to do was ask.

The next morning, before first period started, I waited by Annabeth's locker. Sure enough, she came traipsing down the hallway before too long.

"Morning," she greeted me cheerfully, and proceeded to open her locker.

"Hey, Annabeth," I said, "um – I'd like to ask you something."

She paused, and her eyes turned to me. "Yes?"

I found myself staring into her eyes, and had to snap myself out of it.

"My algebra grades are going downhill. I'm so, so bad at algebra, it's not even funny. I really need someone to help me, and my mother suggested that I ask one of my classmates to tutor me. So I was wondering if you might be willing to help me?"

Annabeth grinned. "No problem, Percy. I love tutoring people."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. I used to teach Thalia French. It didn't really work out that well."

I laughed. "Well, _merci beaucoup_. You have no idea how thankful my mother's gonna be."

Annabeth chuckled. "_De rien_, Percy. And you should really work on your French pronunciation."

As I said goodbye to Annabeth and walked to class, I noticed I was humming happily under my breath. Why? I didn't know. All I knew that I was very much looking forward to spending time with Annabeth outside school.

**Annabeth Chase POV**

"I'd like to ask you something."

I paused, and my heart began beating faster. I slowly turned and faced Percy. "Yes?"

His sea-green eyes were mesmerizing, and I began to stare into them. It was only when I realized he was talking that I forced myself to concentrate on his voice.

He was asking me to help him with algebra.

My heart sank, but I grinned. "No problem, Percy. I love tutoring people."

Why was I feeling disappointed? As Percy turned away and began walking to class, that little annoying voice in my head which had recently begun speaking out of turn so frequently began pestering me.

_You thought he was going to ask you out, didn't you? You actually thought he was going to ask you out. And now you're disappointed that he didn't_.

_Shut up_, I irritably told the voice.

_You can lie to the people around you, Annabeth, but you can't lie to yourself. And you can't deny that you're really looking forward to the idea of spending time with Percy_.

_Shut up_, I told the voice again, but it was right – I did like the idea of spending time with Percy. I liked it very, very much.

**In Hong Kong, where I live, approximately 85% of secondary students receive some form of professional private tuition. I have no idea whether tuition is at all popular in the US, and in fact I don't even have the faintest idea how the US school system works, so I apologize for any inaccuracies in my story. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to those kind reviewers who explained the US school system to me! Translating my own school system to the American one, I guess I'd be a sophomore, but I'm not sure.  
I bought _House of Hades_ on my e-book reader and have barely been able to keep my hands and eyes off it! I'm already almost halfway through the book, and my Percabeth feels are sooooooo high as a result...but I won't spoil anything. Anyway, here's the next chapter:**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

I knocked on the door to Percy's apartment. I'd brought with me a few algebra textbooks and workbooks. I wasn't in Percy's algebra class and wasn't sure what he could and couldn't do, so I thought I'd best be safe and bring a range of things.

I was about ten minutes early, because finding a cab to catch had been easier than I'd anticipated, and so had traffic.

No one came to the door. I knocked again, and, after another pause, knocked again.

Finally, I heard movement inside the apartment. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" It was Percy's voice, and I bit my lip and stifled my laughter as I imagined him grumpily coming to answer the door.

The door swung open. "Honestly, Mom, I was in the shower – " Percy began to complain, but stopped immediately once he saw who it was. His cheeks turned bright red, and I felt my own cheeks begin to flush.

Percy was dressed in just a towel. He had it wrapped around his waist. That was it – he wasn't wearing anything else. His chest was bare, and I found myself staring at it.

_Hot damn, Percy_. I'd seen him stark naked before, of course, but seeing him in this state of undress was quite a thrill to me. He had a lean and slender build. He was quite muscular, but not beefy muscular like a bodybuilder. He wasn't really bulky, and didn't have the broad shoulders and strong biceps that appealed to most girls, but he did have six-pack abs, and I knew from personal experience that they were rock-hard. He was lean and skinny, making him seem taller, and that, combined with his abs, held a lot of attraction for me. I suddenly felt the urge to place my hands on his toned figure, on his chest, and let my fingers explore his body, let my fingertips brush over his nipples…

_God, Annabeth! You're disgusting!_ I snapped myself quickly out of my trance. I seemed to be in a lot of trances these days.

There was a long, very awkward silence.

"You're early," Percy said at last.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered. "Um, traffic was better than I expected…"

Another awkward silence.

"Come in, come in," Percy said, opening the door wider. "My mom's out, and I thought you were her, actually, when you knocked on the door, so…"

"I can tell," I smiled.

Percy's cheeks turned even redder, and I had to admit, he looked really adorable when he blushed. Heck, he looked really adorable no matter what he was doing. And with his bare chest – well, he was hot.

"Here's my room," Percy said, opening a door. I stepped into his bedroom.

The walls were plastered with ocean-blue wallpaper. Percy had a fish tank just next to the door, and all sorts of exotic marine fish swam inside it. I found myself cooing at them.

"Um, I'll be right back," Percy said. "I need to go and change."

**Percy Jackson POV**

My heart pounded as I shut myself in the bathroom. Annabeth had just seen me dressed in nothing but a towel. I'd seen the way her eyes explored my body.

_It's nothing she hasn't seen before_, I reminded myself. _She's seen me completely naked before_.

I found myself wondering whether Annabeth liked what she saw.

Quickly, I dropped my towel and grabbed a pair of boxers. Pulling them on, I spotted a pair of jeans hanging on the sink. Yes, I was a slob, and chucked my clothes every which way. I seized my jeans and pulled them on quickly.

I needed a shirt. Where could I get a shirt? There were no shirts in the bathroom. There usually were, but just when I needed one, they were gone.

I quickly ducked out of the bathroom and went back into my bedroom. Annabeth turned around from gazing at my fish.

"I'm just getting a shirt," I told her, and opened my closet. I snatched the first T-shirt I saw and pulled it on, then closed my closet doors and turned to face Annabeth.

It was then that I realized she was clutching three algebra textbooks. Noticing my look of horror, Annabeth laughed. "Don't worry, I won't make you do all of them," she said. "I'm just trying to work out what level of algebra you're at, and once I've established that, then I can properly help you."

I nodded. "Okay, but I'll warn you now – my algebra's awful. You'll probably be running out of here tearing your hair by the end of the lesson."

Annabeth shook her head. "I'm made out of tougher stuff than you might think. If I can survive teaching Thalia French, I can definitely survive teaching you algebra."

I raised an eyebrow playfully. "Oh really? We'd better get started, then."

Annabeth was the best algebra teacher I'd ever had. She taught me key concepts of the syllabus but at the same time kept me laughing. I hadn't ever laughed so much in an algebra lesson.

Eventually, though, she glanced at her phone screen, and grimaced. "I have to go."

"Aw, man." I stood up, and so did she.

"Work on the exercises I set you, and you'll do fine," she said.

"You're so professional," I marvelled as we walked back to my front door. "How'd you get so professional? You teach so well."

"It helps if you volunteer at a charity centre regularly," Annabeth responded as I opened the door.

There was a pause as we stood at the door.

"Well, see you at school, Perce," Annabeth said with a small grin.

"Yeah," I agreed. "See you."

As I closed the door, I couldn't help but wonder at myself. For the very first time, I was actually looking forward to an algebra lesson. That was unprecedented.

I sat down to try and do the exercises Annabeth had set me, but found I couldn't concentrate – every time I tried to solve for _x_, I found Annabeth's face drifting into my mind. With a dopey smile on my face, I closed my algebra textbook and lay down on my bed, my hands behind my head. She was really one in a million.

**I wanted there to be a bit of sexual tension in the story, but not too much. As always, reviews are appreciated...**


	13. Chapter 13

**My Percabeth feels are sooooooo high right now, I just had to update this story. **

**Annabeth Chase POV**

After coming here for a month to tutor Percy, the Jackson residence was becoming quite familiar to me. Mrs. Jackson, or, as she insisted on being called, Sally, was often at home, and often answered the door when I knocked.

"Hey, Sally," I greeted her as I stepped into the apartment.

"Hi, Annabeth," she said. "I'm just heading out for groceries in a few minutes. Percy's in his room, probably listening to music."

"Okay." I headed to Percy's room, and opened the door. He was sprawled on his bed, with earphones in his ears, his eyes closed and his mouth wide open as he snored loudly.

I laughed out loud, and shut the door quickly to save Percy the embarrassment of being discovered by his mother. I set the books down on the table and had the most awesome idea.

Quietly, I took out my phone, switched it on and turned to camera mode. I snapped a picture of the fast-asleep Percy, and quickly sent it to Thalia via Snapchat, adding the caption, _Percy Jackson slumbers. Shhh_.

I then poked Percy in the belly. Hard.

Percy's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright. "Where! What! How! Why!" he shouted.

I snapped a picture of him staring frantically into my camera lens, and then doubled over laughing. Percy quickly realized what was going on and tugged the earphones out of his ears. "Annabeth, give me that phone," he threatened me, putting on a mock angry voice.

I held it out of his reach. "Make me," I teased him, waving my phone around.

Too late, I realized that the look on his face meant that he really was going to make me.

He came at me, and I shrieked and tried to run for the door, but Percy blocked it.

"There's no escape," he taunted me, then lunged at me.

I tried to flee, but Percy's strong arms encircled my waist and lifted me clear off the ground. I screamed again, half shrieking and half laughing, and elbowed his face. His legs collapsed, and we fell onto his bed, both of us laughing hysterically.

Our laughter died when we realized how close we were to each other. I lay on my back and Percy was on top of me, his arms propping him up, his face just a few inches with mine. I looked into his gorgeous sea-green eyes and his mess of black hair.

We stayed like that for a few moments.

Then, without warning, Percy leaned in and kissed me. I stiffened, and then relaxed as his lips touched mine. It was soft and gentle at first, but then his kisses became more urgent. I responded just as desperately, seeking his warmth. I entangled my fingers in his hair, and kissed him back. He kissed me and kissed me, and sparks were flying.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily. Percy panted, and I felt his warm breath on my face.

"Wow," I said softly. "That was something."

"Yeah," Percy agreed.

Then he sat up. "Okay, I've been meaning to say this for a while now," he said as I sat up too. "And maybe it's a little late, considering that we've now kissed, but Annabeth – I'm crazy about you. I've had a huge crush on you from the night we met, and I've tried to get rid of it, mostly because you had a boyfriend when we met. But now you've broken up with Luke, and I can't hold it in me anymore. I have to ask you."

I held my breath.

"Annabeth, will you be my girlfriend?" Percy asked softly.

There was a pause.

"Yes," I grinned, and threw my arms around his neck and kissed him again.

When we broke apart again, a bit more reluctantly, Percy's green eyes were shining, and he chuckled. "You're really good at that, you know," he told me.

"I know," I said cheerfully. "But – " I pointed at the textbooks. "Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean I'm gonna take it easy on you. You asked me to help you with algebra, and I have every intention of doing so. It's time for work, mister."

Percy held up his hands in surrender, and we got to work on algebra.

**Percy Jackson POV**

At the end of another fun-filled algebra session, it was time for Annabeth to go. I followed her to the door like I always did, but this time I held her hand as we did, and she didn't object.

My heart was racing, soaring. After months of thinking about this, at last it had come true – Annabeth and I were dating. We were actually in a relationship. My head was spinning. It hadn't even sunk in yet.

My mind flashed back to when I found Annabeth under me on my bed. My heart had begun pounding as I stared into her eyes and felt her warm body beneath mine. And then, out of some primal instinct, I'd leaned forward and kissed her.

I'd expected her to push me away, but much to my delight, she'd responded and kissed me back. And when we'd broken apart, I'd asked her to be my girlfriend – and she had said yes. _She actually said yes_.

At the door, Annabeth turned to look at me. I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and she grinned. "So, you're gonna call me, right, Seaweed Brain?"

"You bet, Wise Girl," I promised her. I leaned forward and pecked her cheek, and she laughed.

"See you," she smiled. "Can't wait."

After she left, I went and stood in my bedroom for about three seconds. Then I let out a triumphant yell and proceeded to parade around the room doing a victory dance. Finally, though, I stopped, and flopped down on my bed, whereupon I began where I'd left off – I resumed my nap. Except this time, my dreams were full of Annabeth, my girlfriend, and her beautiful eyes.

**So they're going out at long, long last! Reviews are appreciated...**


	14. Chapter 14

**I finished _House of Hades_, and oh my god my feels are so high right now that the chapters for this story are just churning out of me, chugga chugga. I'm not going to spoil anything, don't worry...but here's Percabeth's first date.**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

"So you guys are dating?" Piper asked for the ninth time. "Actually dating?"

"Yes, Piper, we are," I confirmed.

That prompted a big squeal from Piper and Hazel in the backseat. Thalia, sitting behind the wheel and driving, grinned at me and rolled her eyes.

"Keep it together, girls," she told them.

We were on our way to school, and Thalia was driving all of us. As we pulled into the school parking lot, I noticed someone waiting by the school entrance.

"Go on, Annabeth," Piper squealed. "Your boyfriend's over there!"

She and Hazel let out another squeal, causing Thalia to wince. "Okay, you girls are damaging my eardrums."

I ignored the three of them and slid out of Thalia's car, barely remembering to grab my schoolbag. Percy was indeed waiting for me by the school entrance. He was leaning against the wall, dressed in an orange T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, with his hands in his pockets.

God, he was definitely pulling that look off.

His face lit up when he saw me, and my heart did a little flip when I saw that. He came to greet me at once.

"Hey, Annabeth," he said.

"Hi, Seaweed Brain," I smiled cheerfully at him.

He mock scowled at me, and I giggled. Then, he put an arm around my shoulders and we walked into school together, with my head resting on his shoulder as we walked.

I could tell that people were noticing us. A lot of girls in particular were glaring at me as we walked through the corridors. I smiled smugly. What could I say? My boyfriend was handsome and adorable.

When we reached our lockers, I opened mine and began sorting through my folders.

"You have History now, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. How do you know that?"

"I have your schedule memorized."

"That's not creepy at all."

He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively, and I couldn't help it – I laughed. "God, you're such a goofball."

He responded to that by pulling the most adorable derpy face I'd ever seen, and I laughed again. "But you're my goofball," I reminded him.

Percy took me in his arms. "You bet I am. I'm yours, Wise Girl." He smiled at me. Then, he glanced at the clock, and sighed. "Ugh. Well, I have algebra now."

"Remember what I've taught you," I told him sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." He stood back and saluted. Then he came forward again and pecked me on the cheek.

"See you later, Annabeth." With one last smirk that made my heart flutter, Percy turned and walked off.

As soon as he turned the corner, Thalia, Piper and Hazel materialized. Piper and Hazel came to my side at once.

"There's too much cuteness in here," Piper said, pretending to choke and grabbing her throat. "It's too adorable – I can't breathe!"

"Oh, be quiet, Piper," I responded. "It's not like you and Jason aren't adorable."

"Yeah, I know we are, but you two are newly dating!" She and Hazel began screaming and jumping up and down.

"Okay, girls, keep it together," Thalia said, stepping in. "Give her some air to breathe."

"Thanks, Thals," I sighed as Piper and Hazel pranced away to class.

"No problem, Annie." Then Thalia winked at me. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Oh, my god, Thalia, you're just as bad as they are!" I groaned. Thalia just laughed and flounced away.

The school day was as normal, except a lot of whispers came my way. Word was evidently spreading that I was now Percy's girlfriend. Some girls came to congratulate me, while others stayed their distance and detested me from afar. I was perfectly fine with that.

At the end of the day, Percy stood outside my classroom. I linked my arm through his and we walked together out of school.

"You're quite the dedicated boyfriend," I remarked as we left the school building.

"You know it," Percy teased as he nibbled my ear. Then he turned serious. "Do you want to watch a movie and catch dinner sometime over the weekend? There are a lot of movies coming out this month."

I pretended to think about it. "Sure," I agreed happily. "Call me, Seaweed Brain."

"No problem," he winked.

He then stepped away like a gentleman and bid me farewell for the day. I walked back to Thalia's car, whereupon I was ambushed by my friends, who demanded to know all the gory details.

**Percy Jackson POV**

I whistled nervously as I waited outside Annabeth's apartment building, waited for her to emerge from within, waited for us to go on our first date.

I was very nervous. I wanted to make a good impression on Annabeth – not as a friend, but as a boyfriend.

I remembered the way Jason had reacted when I told him the news. We'd been in the changing room, having just finished a workout session, when I'd told him that I'd asked Annabeth out and she'd said yes.

Jason had stared at me with big eyes. "Are you serious, Perce?"

I nodded.

Jason had whooped and given me a noogie, giving a triumphant war cry while restraining me as I struggled. I'd been almost hurt – did I go on so few dates that it was such a cause for celebration when I did find a girlfriend?

Now, I stood outside Annabeth's apartment building, about fifteen minutes early. I'd chosen to wear just a T-shirt and jeans, just like I usually did. I hoped Annabeth wouldn't wear something super formal and make me look underdressed.

As it was, she didn't. About five minutes before the agreed meeting time outside her apartment building, Annabeth emerged, wearing a white blouse and denim shorts, with a handbag swinging from her shoulder. Her clothes weren't so tight-fitting that they revealed everything, but they certainly showed off her curves and her body. I found myself staring at her long, slender legs like an idiot.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain." She batted my head, and brought me back to the present. "Earth to Percy."

"Right, right," I stammered. "I'm sorry – you just look – fantastic."

"Why, thank you." Annabeth grinned at me. "Anyway, if you're done staring at me like the complete doofus you are, I believe we have a date to go on."

I blushed, and offered my arm to her. She accepted it, and off we went.

**~~Page Break~~**

I grinned like a complete doofus as I opened the door to my apartment.

My first date with Annabeth had gone great. She'd loved the movie, called _The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel_. I'd spent most of the movie staring at her as opposed to the screen.

After that, we went to a romantic dinner at a café in Central Park. It was candlelit, and we'd laughed and talked and told each other a bit more about ourselves. We already knew each other quite well because we'd started off friends, but there was always something more about Annabeth that fascinated and delighted me.

On the one instance that the subject of Luke came up, Annabeth had seemed hesitant to discuss him. I didn't push her. I really didn't want to remind her of her ex-boyfriend.

Having had one of the most fun dinners I'd ever had, I then escorted her back to her apartment building, where she bid me good night. I'd gazed into her grey eyes, and we'd kissed. Every kiss sent fire coursing through my veins. When our lips touched, it felt like my brain was melting into my skull.

I opened the door to my bedroom to find my mother sprawled on my bed, reading a magazine. The minute I stepped in, she snapped the magazine shut and grinned at me.

"Lemme see," she said, reading my face like she always did. "Happy grin, dreamy eyes, lovesick expression. Yup. Your date went great."

"Mom," I complained as I tried to shoo her out of my room.

"I can already see that Annabeth's shaping up better for you than Rachel ever did," my mom continued as she got up and made her way to the door. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." She winked at me.

"Mom!" I complained again. She laughed, and with a few more kissy faces, she backed out the door.

I sighed, and took off my clothes and rolled into bed. Closing my eyes, I fell asleep immediately to dreams of Annabeth and her stormy grey eyes.

**This chapter was supposed to show how Percy and Annabeth are high on their dating. What did you guys think? **


	15. Chapter 15

**Okaaaaaaay, so, on to the next chapter!**

**Annabeth Chase POV**

"And just a smidgen of makeup there," Piper said. "And done!"

I turned to look in the mirror and gasped.

"You're a knockout," Piper said smugly.

I rushed to the mirror. "Piper, how on earth did you do this?" I demanded.

"Don't touch your face, you'll smear the makeup," Piper warned, coming forward quickly.

"I look good!" I exclaimed. "I actually look good!"

"Yes, you do," Piper said with satisfaction.

I was going out on another date with Percy that night, this time to a dance club, and Piper had invited herself to my apartment to help me prepare. She'd literally just spent two hours applying makeup to my face, and although I'd complained and fought the whole way, I had to admit that she'd done a fantastic job.

"That birthmark that I hate," I breathed, raising a hand to my face. "That birthmark that looks so much like a bruise – it's gone!"

"Yes, but don't touch it, for goodness' sake!" Piper exclaimed, slapping my hand away from my face. "Makeup is powerful but fragile, Annie. If you touch it, it may well come away, and then your birthmark will be back."

I reluctantly lowered my hand.

"Good." Piper smiled. "Now, for once I agree with you – the dress you picked out looks good."

I nodded. "I know."

I'd chosen a somewhat tight fitting black dress, quite suitable for a night of dancing. Piper had lent me a pair of black high heels to complement the dress.

Piper glanced at her watch. "Oops! How time flies! It's almost time for your boyfriend to pick you up!" She cooed at me, and I swatted at her. She laughed and ducked away. "Now if you need me, I'll be at Rockefeller Centre with Hazel and Thalia, squealing as I imagine you with Percy."

After Piper left, I sat down and tried to rearrange my hair. Piper had done it, but I didn't like it – it just wasn't _me_. I'd just finished grooming it when the doorbell rang.

My father knocked and came into my room. "I assume that is the gentleman caller who you have been seeing?" he grumbled, crossing his arms.

I nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Humph," my dad humphed. "I hate meeting boyfriends."

"Please, Dad? It would mean a lot to me if you met Percy."

"Well," my father sighed, "if it means that much to you, I suppose I could take a few minutes off my project to meet the man in your life."

I clapped my hands as I followed him to the doorway.

My father opened the door, and there stood Percy.

Oh, _damn_.

He was dressed simply in a black button-down shirt and grey trousers, but he really looked absolutely stunning. Judging from the way he stared at me in my dress, I could tell he felt the same way about me.

My father cleared his throat, and Percy's eyes snapped to meet my father with a rapidity that I found comical.

"Your name?" my father said in an icy voice which only I, being his daughter, could tell was fake.

"Percy Jackson," Percy said nervously.

"And exactly what do you intend to do with my daughter tonight?"

"Take her to a club," came the reply. "There's a club which just opened up not too far from here…"

"How are you taking here there?"

"I'm driving."

"What time will you be taking her back?"

Percy hesitated. "10:30? 11?"

"11? You think she's some little girl who has to be treated delicately? Let me tell you, Percy Jackson, my daughter is capable of taking care of herself."

"I know, Mr. Chase," Percy said quickly.

I chose this moment to butt in. "I can judo-flip him easily if he's any trouble," I said sweetly.

Both of them looked at me. Percy shot me a cute smirk, then turned back to my dad. "Yeah, it's true, Mr. Chase. Annabeth's pretty tough – she can flip me easily."

My father humphed. He liked doing that around my boyfriends. "Well, all right, then, I suppose you're somewhat worthy of her."

"Thank you, Mr. Chase," said Percy, obviously relieved. He took my hand, and when my dad's eyes shot daggers at him he quickly let go.

"Let's go, you goofball," I said, grabbing my handbag. I went over to my dad and kissed him on the cheek. "Love you, Daddy."

The minute the door to my apartment closed, Percy breathed a huge sigh of relief. I laughed. "Was meeting my dad really that scary? I thought you were a big boy, Percy."

Percy mock scowled at me. I responded by drawing him close and into a deep, long kiss. When we broke apart, my head was spinning.

"Let's go," said Percy, breathing heavily.

**~~Page Break~~**

The club was noisy.

Unlike Percy, I hadn't been to that many clubs in my life. Right now, they were playing heavy dance music – probably some Usher song, I couldn't hear properly. Percy and I had spent some time dancing, but then I'd felt tired so he'd instantly teleported me away from the dance floor. I now sat on a chair on the side, right next to a wall. Percy had gone to get us some drinks.

I sat there, tapping my foot to the music, when I heard footsteps. I looked up, expecting to see Percy, but when I saw who it was, I recoiled immediately.

"Hello, Annabeth," said Luke.

Once upon a time, I would've found that smile handsome and charming, but now I was terrified by it. I tried to scoot away, but Luke grabbed my wrist.

"Oh, no, Annabeth, let's get reacquainted. Let's catch up." Luke drew up a chair, and I shivered in fear.

"How's life been treating you, Annabeth?" Luke asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

"Get your filthy hands off me," I whispered.

"Now, now," Luke tutted, "is that any way to speak to your boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend," I spat. "Get away from me, or I swear, I'll call the cops."

Luke ignored what I'd said and leaned in closer. "You know, Annabeth, I miss you. I miss the way you smile, the way you talk…"

"Get away," I whispered, trying to move away, but Luke had me cornered up against the wall.

"I miss you, Annabeth. I especially miss the way we move together – the way you used to let me do whatever I wanted. The way you responded to what I did, the sounds you made, ooh – they stir happy memories in me."

"You creep!" I cried, trying to push him away, but he was strong, and began to nibble my neck.

"Come back to me, Annabeth," he whispered.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Luke shot backwards from me and stood up. Percy stood there, drinks in both his hands. His green eyes shone with a cold, terrible fury the likes of which I'd never seen in him before.

Luke stared at Percy, then sneered. "And who are you?"

"I'm her boyfriend," Percy said coldly. "And I'm going to ask you to step away from my girlfriend, right now."

"And what will you do if I don't?"

Percy stared at Luke for a moment, then swung back his fist and socked Luke in the face.

There were gasps from the people all around us as Luke went stumbling backwards, clutching his face. Percy raised his fists, ready to continue the fight.

Luke glared at Percy for a second, then at me. "This isn't over, Annabeth," he snarled. "You will be mine." Then, he walked away, still clutching his face.

Percy's eyes instantly lost their angry fire, and turned to me. "Are you okay, babe?" he asked.

I nodded. My eyes were full of tears – not of fear, but of gratitude to Percy. "Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

I kissed him deeply, and he responded. I breathed him in, the scent of him, the taste of him. When we broke apart, I panted and asked him, "What time is it?"

"Only about 9:45."

"Good," I breathed. "Let's go to your place."

**Oooooooh, Percy's place! What do you guys think will happen there? ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey y'all, I'm back! I've had writer's block for a while...but here's the next chapter. Sorry it's so short. **

**Percy Jackson POV**

My mother wasn't home.

We stumbled into my bedroom, kissing ferociously. Annabeth's hands were in my hair, caressing my cheeks, her lips were on mine, and we were kissing.

I clumsily kicked the bathroom door shut, never pausing for a second. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of her blonde hair, relished the feeling of her mouth against mine.

Annabeth's hands began tugging my shirt buttons open very quickly. When she reached the bottom, I shrugged off my shirt, then groaned as she ran her cool hands up and down my chest.

Suddenly, we were lying down. I was leaning over Annabeth as she gazed up at me. She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me down to her, and kissed me again.

I knew that what we were fast approaching, and stopped kissing her for a moment. I drew back, panting.

"Are you sure – " I began, but Annabeth put a finger to my lips.

"Percy," she whispered, "shut up." And she pulled me back down again.

I did what I was told. I shut up.

**~~Page Break~~**

We lay there, breathing heavily. Annabeth lay on my right and I had my right arm around her bare shoulders. My body was coated in sweat, and our clothes lay strewn all over the floor. Our legs lay tangled up in the bed sheets.

"Wow," Annabeth breathed. Her hand was on my chest, drawing vague circles around my nipple. "That was something."

"Yeah," I agreed. "That was something, indeed."

Annabeth planted a kiss to my cheek, and I cursed myself when I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

Annabeth grinned, then got to her feet. I turned away, embarrassed, when I saw her naked body.

"Aw, come on, Percy," Annabeth teased. "It's nothing you haven't seen before!"

I laughed as she began to pull on her clothes.

"Is your mother coming home anytime soon?" she inquired as she dressed.

"I don't think so." I pulled on a pair of boxers. "I think she's working late tonight."

Annabeth glanced at her phone screen. "It's only 10:23. I can make myself a snack, and then you can take me home, like the gentleman you are." She came over to me and straddled my waist, and kissed me deeply, putting her hands on my shoulders. I started to respond, but then she drew away again with a teasing grin. I groaned and put my head in my hands, and she laughed – a twinkling, melodious giggle that set me on fire.

Following her into the kitchen, I watched Annabeth take out a few slices of bread. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked.

"Nope," I shook my head. "Not in the slightest. Go right ahead."

Annabeth continued to make her sandwich as I watched her graceful movements.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Annabeth froze. "What if that's your mom?" she whispered, mortified. "She can't catch us here like this!"

"Don't worry about it." I headed to the door. "She'll probably not be back for a while now."

"You're just gonna answer the door in your boxers?"

"I answered the door for you in a towel," I reminded her as I put my hand on the doorknob. Annabeth snorted, then waltzed back into the kitchen, humming a Queen song.

Opening the door, I turned around with a bright smile. "Hi – "

I broke off mid-sentence, and I felt the smile fall off my face.

"Hi, Percy," said the redheaded girl who stood in front of me. She smiled at me. "I've missed you."

"Hi," I mumbled. "Um – do you wanna come in?"

The girl smiled. "That would be nice."

I backed awkwardly into the apartment, and the girl followed me in, still smiling. I heard movement behind me, and looked around to find Annabeth walking towards me, frowning. "Percy, who's – "

"Annabeth, meet Rachel Elizabeth Dare," I said. "My ex-girlfriend."

**Oooooooh, Rachel has appeared! And what does she want from Percy?  
****As always, reviews are very much appreciated...What did you think of this chapter?**


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